I finally have had enough! I wrote the letter below to the Governor, who has been all to obvious in his avoidance of this issue...It appears for some reason he has decided to stay on the sidelines (there has been lots of speculation as to why, good and bad, on this), but as Governor you cannot do that forever when your State employees run amuck. I enclosed a photo of the July 17th crew, so he or someone in his office can put some faces on this mess. I will send it as an "open letter" to the Post and Courant, as well.
June 20, 2004
Governor Bill Owens
136 State Capitol
Denver, CO 80203
Dear Governor Owens:
I am enclosing a photo of the July 17, 2004 crew of the Georgetown Loop Railroad. Hopefully, you and your staff are aware of the situation that is unfolding concerning the closing of the Ashby's operation and the possibility of a new operator for this enterprise. I just want to share a few insights and have you see the faces of some of the people who are caught in the middle of this fiasco.
I am aware that the Colorado Historical Society, as a whole, is a wonderful organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich history of this State. I, also, am aware that State agencies must work through an impartial process when selecting vendors and service providers. With this as a backdrop, one would think that the process for negotiating a new contract for operations on the Georgetown Loop would be open, honest and fair. This, however, has been far from the case.
Due to the politics of a couple of influential and glib CHS employees, as well as their ignorance and vindictive natures, the tourist-based economy of Clear Creek County may be damaged irreparably, not to mention the professional and personal lives of the workers on the Loop.
Here are some key points:
1) The Request For Proposal for a new railroad operator issued by the CHS is a sham. It is full of inaccuracies, faulty assumptions and vague references. The frequent revisions and morphing of the content aside, it could never produce a viable operation, even if the operator were to be a non-profit. The RFP qualifications for an acceptable operator are; 1) a virtually endless source of funds for start-up and operations, 2) responsible for all operational and business risks and liabilities, 3) willing subject for any and all CHS whims and mandates, 4) provider of management expertise for the railroad and Lebanon mine operations for CHS, and in exchange is 5) willing to accept only a small, limited percent of the questionable profits. Railroad experience is not needed.
2) The municipalities of Georgetown and Silver Plume, and possibly Idaho Springs, have been promised a share in the profits from the railroad enterprise. Unfortunately, they have been lured into supporting the idea of a new operator with this bait. The fact that they are not participating in the risks involved, yet would benefit from what are being touted as sizable revenues, is almost socialistic. If run according to the RFP as it stands, there will not be any profits to share for many, many years, if ever. Nobody has bothered to inform the cities or local business owners of this important point.
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3) To begin with, any for-profit operator that would bid on the RFP would be foolish. If the selected bidder follows through, that operator would quickly find that they could not sustain the operation safely for any length of time and would either abandon it or would cut corners and shoestring the operation in an attempt to hold on and, as a result, the operation would wind up endangering the lives of workers and passengers. One major accident could close the Loop for good, or at the very least any subsequent operation would suffer the legacy of previous bad management.
4) CHS is already alluding to "disaster or relief funds from the State" to aid businesses and city governments through a transition. This is no natural disaster! This entire scenario is a personal vendetta purposefully set up by a couple of CHS representatives to spite the Ashby's, who have run a first-rate operation for 30 years. If the State were to provide relief funds under those circumstances, it would be a horrific injustice. Relief funds should go to victims of unpreventable disasters, not to people who are gulled by self-serving, smooth-talking State employees.
I would be very grateful for your assistance in this matter. I know you have probably tried to stay out of this "can of worms," but I really think you need to hear all sides on this issue and do something to mediate or intervene. Please, contact me with any questions or concerns. I would be more than happy to provide additional relevant information.
Sincerely,
Karell Reader
